Network switch including transmission ports which are not arranged toward a same direction

ABSTRACT

A network switch includes a circuit board and a plurality of transmission ports. The circuit board is disposed in a chassis, and an opening of the chassis is corresponding to a first reference line. The plurality of transmission ports are disposed on an edge of the circuit board. The edge is corresponding to a second reference line, and the first reference line and the second reference line form an acute angle.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.63/274,528, filed on Nov. 2, 2021. The content of the application isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The disclosure is related to a network switch, and more particularly, anetwork switch including transmission ports which are not arrangedtoward a same direction.

2. Description of the Prior Art

On a circuit board, the transmission ports located on the edge of thecircuit board are usually laid out in the same direction. For example,on a printed circuit board (PCB), the transmission ports of user-networkinterface (UNI) and network-to-network interface (NNI) are usually laidout in the same direction. In other words, when the edge of the circuitboard is parallel to the straight edge of the chassis opening, theplurality of transmission ports can be arranged along the straight edgeof the circuit board. This setting is relatively simple in design,convenient for the user to plug and unplug the transceiver, and alsoconvenient for observing the number and status of the transmissionports.

However, for high-speed signal transmission requirements, shortcomingsof the above-mentioned technologies have been observed. When the chip isplaced on the circuit board, the pins of the chip and the transmissionport of the circuit board can be coupled through wires. However, forhigh-speed signal transmission, such as pulse amplitude modulation (PAM)signals of 50 Giga bits per second/lane (50 Gbps/lane) or even 112 Gigabits per second/lane (112 Gbps/lane), the signal paths between the chippins and the leftmost transmission ports on the circuit board are toolong. Similarly, the signal paths between the chip pins and therightmost transmission ports on the circuit board are too long for highspeed signals. The insertion loss caused by excessively long pathscannot be neglected, and the high speed signals cannot be transmittedsmoothly.

In theory, a re-timer component or a gearbox component can be disposedbetween a transmission port and a chip pin to reduce the insertion loss.However, this solution will result in high hardware and software costand excessive power consumption, so the feasibility is very low. Inaddition, flyover wires can be used for reducing the insertion loss, butthis solution will result in lower yield and lower reliability.

Moreover, if the dielectric constant of the circuit board can bedecreased, it is possible to reduce the insertion loss. However, withthe development of material technology, it is difficult to reduce thedielectric constant of the circuit board. Hence, a solution is still inneed to resolve the problem that the signal path between thetransmission port of the circuit board and the chip pin is too long.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment includes a network switch including a circuit board and aplurality of transmission ports. The circuit board is disposed in achassis, and an opening of the chassis is corresponding to a firstreference line. The plurality of transmission ports are disposed on anedge of the circuit board, the edge is corresponding to a secondreference line, and the first reference line and the second referenceline form an acute angle.

Another embodiment includes a network switch including a circuit board,a plurality of first transmission ports and a plurality of secondtransmission ports. The circuit board is disposed in a chassis andincludes a first edge, a second edge and a third edge. The first edge issubstantially parallel to the second edge, and the third edge is insidethe chassis. A first distance between the first edge and the third edgeis shorter than a second distance between the second edge and the thirdedge. The plurality of first transmission ports are disposed on thefirst edge. The plurality of second transmission ports are disposed onthe second edge.

These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt becomeobvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiment that isillustrated in the various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 to FIG. 10 illustrates network switches according to differentembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a network switch 100 according to an embodiment. Thenetwork switch 100 can include a circuit board 105 and a plurality offirst transmission ports 110. The circuit board 105 can be disposed in achassis 190, and an opening 195 of the chassis 190 can be correspondingto a first reference line L1. As shown in FIG. 1 , a plurality of fans170 and a set of power supply units (PSUs) can be disposed in thechassis 190. The plurality of first transmission ports 110 can bedisposed on a first edge E1 of the circuit board 105 for transmittingand/or receiving signals. The first edge E1 can be corresponding to asecond reference line L2. The first reference line L1 and the secondreference line L2 can form a first acute angle θ1.

In FIG. 1 , the first transmission ports 110 are not disposed along thefirst reference line L1 corresponding the opening 195, and are disposedalong the second reference line L2 which is not parallel to the firstreference line L1. Hence, each of the first transmission ports 110 isarranged toward a direction different from a direction d0 of the opening195. Since the first transmission ports 110 are not arranged toward thesame direction of the opening 195, the lengths of the conductive paths(e.g. the path P1 in FIG. 1 ) between the conductive interfaces of achip 188 (e.g. pins or solder balls) and the first transmission ports110 can be reduced. As a result, the insertion loss of transmittingsignals is reduced. For example, the chip 188 can be an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC).

In FIG. 1 , the network switch 100 can optionally further include aplurality of second transmission ports 120 disposed on a second edge E2of the circuit board 105. The second edge E2 can be corresponding to athird reference line L3, and the first reference line L1 and the thirdreference line L3 can form a second acute angle θ2. Like the firsttransmission ports 110, the second transmission ports 120 are notdisposed along the first reference line L1 corresponding the opening195. The second transmission ports 120 can be disposed along the thirdreference line L3 which is not parallel to the first reference line L1.Hence, each of the second transmission ports 120 is arranged toward adirection different from the direction d0 of the opening 195 and thedirection of the first transmission ports 110. The conductive paths(e.g. the path P2 in FIG. 1 ) between the conductive interfaces of achip 188 (e.g. pins or solder balls) and the second transmission ports120 can therefore be shortened. As a result, the insertion loss oftransmitting signals is reduced.

FIG. 2 illustrates a network switch 200 according to another embodiment.Like the network switch 100, the network switch 200 can include thefirst transmission ports 110 and the second transmission ports 120 whichare arranged toward directions different from the direction d0 of theopening 195. As a result, the paths such as the paths P1 and P2 areshortened. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 , the network switch 200 canfurther include a plurality of third transmission ports 130 disposed ona third edge E3 of the circuit board 105, and the third edge E3 can becorresponding to the first reference line L1. In other words, in a topview, the third transmission ports 130 can be arranged along a lineparallel to the opening 195 of the chassis 190, and the thirdtransmission ports 130 can be arranged toward the same direction as thedirection d0.

In FIG. 2 , the circuit board 105 can optionally further include ventingholes Vh. The venting holes Vh in FIG. 2 are shown as an example, andthe circuit board 105 in each of FIG. 1 to FIG. 10 can also optionallyinclude one or more venting hole(s).

FIG. 3 illustrates a network switch 300 according to an embodiment. Likethe network switch 200 in FIG. 2 , the network switch 300 can includethe first transmission ports 110 and the second transmission ports 120arranged toward directions different from the direction d0 of theopening 195, and the transmission ports 130 can be arranged toward thesame direction as the direction d0. However, in FIG. 3 , the circuitboard 105 can further include recessing edges Er. One of the recessingedges Er can be located between the first edge E1 and the third edge E3.In addition, the other one of the recessing edges Er can be locatedbetween the second edge E2 and the third edge E3. The paths between thechip and the transmission ports (e.g. the paths P1 and P2) can befurther shortened by using the recessing edges Er.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , the chip 188 can be disposed on thecircuit board 105 and electrically connected to the first transmissionports 110 and the second transmission ports 120. A bottom side Eb of thechip 188 can be substantially parallel to the first reference line L1 ina top view. In other words, the bottom side Eb of the chip 188 can besubstantially parallel to the opening 195 of the chassis 190.

FIG. 4 illustrates a network switch 400 according to another embodiment.In FIG. 4 , the chip 188 can be arranged in another way. In FIG. 4 , thebottom side Eb of the chip 188 can be substantially not parallel to thefirst reference line L1 in a top view. In other words, the bottom sideEb of the chip 188 can be substantially not parallel to the opening 195of the chassis 190. Compared with FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , the chip 188 inFIG. 4 can be rotated by a predetermined angle to be disposed. Byrotating the chip 188 by a predetermined angle, the paths between thechip 188 and the transmission ports (e.g. the paths P1 and P3 in FIG. 4) can be further shortened to reduce the insertion loss.

In FIG. 4 , the layout of the transmission ports is similar to that inFIG. 1 . However, this is an example, and the chip 188 in each of FIG. 1to FIG. 10 can be optionally rotated to meet requirements.

FIG. 5 illustrates a network switch 500 according to another embodiment.The network switch 500 can be similar to the network switch 200 in FIG.2 . However, as shown in FIG. 5 , the first transmission ports 110 ofthe network switch 500 can be disposed along a reference convex line C1.In a top view, the reference convex line C1 can be convex toward adirection d1. Likewise, in FIG. 5 , the second transmission ports 120 ofthe network switch 500 can be disposed along a reference convex line C2,and the reference convex line C2 can be convex toward a direction d2 inthe top view. In FIG. 5 , the first edge E1 of the circuit board 105 canbe convex toward the direction d1 instead of being straight, and/or thesecond edge E2 of the circuit board 105 can be convex toward thedirection d2 instead of being straight. By disposing the firsttransmission ports 110 and/or the second transmission ports 120 alongreference convex line(s), the flexibility of design is increased. InFIG. 5 , for example, the second reference line L2 can be parallel to astraight line passing through a connection terminal T11 of the first oneof the first transmission ports 110 and a connection terminal T1L of thelast one of the first transmission ports 110.

FIG. 6 illustrates a network switch 600 according to an embodiment. Thenetwork switch 600 can be similar to the network switch 200 in FIG. 2 .However, as shown in FIG. 6 , the first transmission ports 110 of thenetwork switch 600 can be disposed along a reference concave line C61.In a top view, the reference concave line C61 can be concave toward adirection d61. Likewise, in FIG. 6 , the second transmission ports 120of the network switch 600 can be disposed along a reference concave lineC62, and the reference concave line C62 can be concave toward adirection d62 in the top view. In FIG. 6 , the first edge E1 of thecircuit board 105 can be concave toward the direction d61 instead ofbeing straight, and/or the second edge E2 of the circuit board 105 canbe concave toward the direction d2 instead of being straight. Bydisposing the first transmission ports 110 and/or the secondtransmission ports 120 along reference concave line(s), the designflexibility is increased. In FIG. 6 , for example, the second referenceline L2 can be parallel to a straight line passing through a connectionterminal T11 of the first one of the first transmission ports 110 and aconnection terminal T1L of the last one of the first transmission ports110.

FIG. 7 illustrates a network switch 700 according to another embodiment.In FIG. 7 , the first transmission ports 110 can be disposed in astepped manner along a step-shaped reference line L71. For example, asecond reference line L2 corresponding to the first transmission ports110 can be parallel to a straight line passing through a connectionterminal T11 of the first one of the first transmission ports 110 and aterminal connection T1L of the last one of the first transmission ports110. In FIG. 7 , like FIG. 3 , the circuit board 105 can have recessingedges Er to adjust the lengths of the paths between the transmissionports and the conductive interfaces of a chip 188 (e.g. pins or solderballs).

FIG. 8 illustrates a network switch 800 according to another embodiment.In FIG. 8 , the connection terminals T11 to T1L of the firsttransmission ports 110 can be located outside the opening 195 of thechassis 190. Hence, it is convenient to connect external cables to thefirst transmission ports 110 and observe the statuses of the firsttransmission ports 110. Likewise, the connection terminals of the secondtransmission ports 120 and the third transmission ports 130 can belocated outside the opening 195.

FIG. 9 illustrates a network switch 900 according to another embodiment.The network switch 900 can include a circuit board 905, a plurality offirst transmission ports 910 and a plurality of second transmissionports 920. The circuit board 905 can be disposed in a chassis 990 andinclude a first edge E91, a second edge E92 and a third edge E93. Thefirst transmission ports 910 can be disposed on the first edge E91. Thesecond transmission ports 920 can be disposed on the second edge E92.The first edge E91 can be substantially parallel to the second edge E92.The third edge E93 can be inside the chassis 990. A first distance dt91between the first edge E91 and the third edge E93 can be shorter than asecond distance dt92 between the second edge E92 and the third edge E93.In FIG. 9 , the circuit board 905 can have a recessing edge Er betweenthe first edge E91 and the second edge E92.

By disposing the first transmission ports 910 and the secondtransmission ports 920 as shown in FIG. 9 , the paths between thetransmission ports and the conductive interfaces of a chip 188 (e.g.pins or solder balls) can be shortened. Since the distance between thefirst transmission ports 910 and the third edge E93 is different fromthe distance between the second transmission ports 920 and the thirdedge E93, it can regarded that the transmission ports are not arrangedin a row.

In FIG. 9 , paths P91, P92, P93 and P94 seem to overlap with thecomponents of the transmission ports and overlap with one another in atop view. However, since different paths can be implemented withdifferent conductive layers of the circuit board 905, signals can beeffectively transmitted between the chip 988 and the transmission ports.

FIG. 10 illustrates a network switch 1000 according to an embodiment.The network switch 1000 can be similar to the network switch 400 in FIG.4 , and the similarities are not repeatedly described. In FIG. 10 , thenetwork switch 1000 can further include a light-emitting device 1050coupled to the first transmission ports 110 for emitting light signalsto indicate statuses of the first transmission ports 110. Thelight-emitting device 1050 can include a control unit 1052 and lights1054. For example, the lights 1054 can include light-emitting diodes(LEDs).

In FIG. 10 , the network switch 1000 can further include an opticalreflection device 1060 used to reflect light signals of the firsttransmission ports 110 to indicate statuses of the first transmissionports 110. For example, the optical reflection device 1060 can include alight source and a reflector (e.g. mirror), so that a user can observethe light signals of the transmission ports 110 through reflection. InFIG. 10 , the light-emitting device 1050 and the optical reflectiondevice 1060 can be used alternatively for a user to observe the statusesof the first transmission ports 110 inside the chassis 190.

In FIG. 10 , the placement and setting of the transmission ports and thechip can be like that in FIG. 4 . This is an example, and embodimentsare not limited thereto. In the network switches of FIG. 1 to FIG. 7 andFIG. 9 , the light-emitting device 1050 and/or the optical reflectiondevice 1060 of FIG. 10 can be installed for the convenience of observingthe statuses of the transmission ports.

In FIG. 1 to FIG. 10 , the circuit boards can be printed circuit boards(PCBs). A path between a transmission port on an edge of a circuit boardand a conductive interface of a chip (e.g. pin or solder ball) can beshorter than 12 inches. The chip can be coupled to the transmissionports using the conductive traces of the circuit board without using are-timer component, a gearbox component or a flyover wire. In FIG. 1 toFIG. 10 , each transmission port disposed on the edge of the circuitboard can meet the requirements of pulse amplitude modulation (PAM)specification. In FIG. 1 to FIG. 10 , each transmission port disposed onthe edge of the circuit board can transmit, receive or transceivesignals. In FIG. 1 to FIG. 10 , each transmission port disposed on theedge of the circuit board can support the user-network interface (UNI)and/or the network-to-network interface (NNI).

In summary, by using one of the network switches 100 to 1000, the shapeof the circuit board can be adjusted to adjust the layout of thetransmission ports on the edges of the circuit board, so as to shortenthe paths between the transmission ports and the conductive interfacesof the chip. With the solutions provided by embodiments, thedifficulties of reducing the dielectric constant of the circuit boardcan be avoided. For high speed applications, such as signaltransmissions defined in the specifications of 50G PAM and 112G PAM, thesolutions provided by embodiments are helpful to reduce the insertionloss, thereby solving the problems of high speed signal transmissions.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerousmodifications and alterations of the device and method may be made whileretaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the abovedisclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and boundsof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A network switch comprising: a circuit boarddisposed in a chassis, wherein an opening of the chassis iscorresponding to a first reference line; and a plurality of firsttransmission ports disposed on a first edge of the circuit board,wherein the first edge is corresponding to a second reference line, andthe first reference line and the second reference line form a firstacute angle.
 2. The network switch of claim 1, further comprising: aplurality of second transmission ports disposed on a second edge of thecircuit board, wherein the second edge is corresponding to the firstreference line.
 3. The network switch of claim 1, further comprising: aplurality of second transmission ports disposed on a second edge of thecircuit board, wherein the second edge is corresponding to a thirdreference line, and the first reference line and the third referenceline form a second acute angle.
 4. The network switch of claim 3,further comprising: a plurality of third transmission ports disposed ona third edge of the circuit board, wherein the third edge iscorresponding to the first reference line.
 5. The network switch ofclaim 4, wherein the circuit board has a recessing edge between thefirst edge and the third edge.
 6. The network switch of claim 1,wherein: a chip is disposed on the circuit board, the chip iselectrically connected to the plurality of first transmission ports andthe plurality of second transmission ports, and a bottom side of thechip is substantially not parallel to the first reference line in a topview.
 7. The network switch of claim 1, wherein the plurality of firsttransmission ports are disposed along a reference convex line.
 8. Thenetwork switch of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first transmissionports are disposed along a reference concave line.
 9. The network switchof claim 1, wherein the plurality of first transmission ports aredisposed in a stepped manner.
 10. The network switch of claim 1, whereinconnection terminals of the plurality of first transmission ports aredisposed outside the opening.
 11. The network switch of claim 1, furthercomprising: an optical reflection device configured to reflect lightsignals of the plurality of first transmission ports to indicatestatuses of the plurality of first transmission ports.
 12. The networkswitch of claim 1, further comprising: a chip disposed on the circuitboard and coupled to the plurality of first transmission ports; whereina path between a conductive interface of the chip and each of the firsttransmission ports is shorter than 12 inches.
 13. The network switch ofclaim 1, further comprising: a chip disposed on the circuit board andcoupled to the plurality of first transmission ports through aconductive trace of the circuit board.
 14. A network switch comprising:a circuit board disposed in a chassis and comprising a first edge, asecond edge and a third edge, wherein the first edge is substantiallyparallel to the second edge, the third edge is inside the chassis, afirst distance between the first edge and the third edge is shorter thana second distance between the second edge and the third edge; and aplurality of first transmission ports disposed on the first edge; and aplurality of second transmission ports disposed on the second edge. 15.The network switch of claim 14, further comprising: an opticalreflection device configured to reflect light signals of the pluralityof first transmission ports to indicate statuses of the plurality offirst transmission ports.
 16. The network switch of claim 14, furthercomprising: a chip disposed on the circuit board and coupled to theplurality of first transmission ports; wherein a path between aconductive interface of the chip and each of the first transmissionports is shorter than 12 inches.
 17. The network switch of claim 14,further comprising: a chip disposed on the circuit board and coupled tothe plurality of first transmission ports through a conductive trace ofthe circuit board.